Wandering sight picture

[mr.steve]

It's been about a month now, I'm a new owner that is learning the way of shooting. As I practice I return to this site and read up. Folks here are a wealth of knowledge! All of you have helped my grip, stance, breathing and the proper way to eat bacon.
I could use some advice on my wandering sight picture. As I focus on the front sight, gently rolling the trigger, I find it hard to hold that front sight still. I don't beleive I'm gripping too tight and I limit my caffiene to a few cups in the morning. Any and all comments, criticisms or curses will be appreciated!

 

[BlueEagle]

Hmm. Interesting. Do you have any medical conditions that may cause this? What kind of gun do you have? Is it particularly front heavy? There are a lot of conditions that could cause this.

Have you tried rest-shooting; resting your hands across a table/rail/fence/truck-hood? See if that helps with it?

Other than that, all I can say is to do dry fire practice, (after checking 93 times to be sure its unloaded,) with snap caps. Try placing a dime on the front site or barrel and see if you can get it to balance there while you dry fire. Try this in your best easy chair, at your most comfortable, with a cold drink nearby to keep you nice and relaxed. Some practice in this comfortable setting may help resolve the issues.

 

[Doug]

Just understand, NOBODY holds it perfectly still.
You settle into your "minimum arc of movement" on the target and increase the pressure on the trigger until you get a surprise break.
Since you are you are watching the sights as the gun fires, you can "call your shots" because you see where your sights are when it goes off.
Mix some snap caps in with the live rounds to make sure you're not flinching or pulling off target as you fire.

 

[mr.steve]

Hmm. Interesting. Do you have any medical conditions that may cause this? What kind of gun do you have? Is it particularly front heavy? There are a lot of conditions that could cause this.

Doug: "Just understand, NOBODY holds it perfectly still.
You settle into your "minimum arc of movement" on the target and increase the pressure on the trigger until you get a surprise break."


No medical conditions, I used to drink alot but I've been graced with sobriety for a few years now. I don't have shakes or tremors. I am a chronic southpaw though.
I have a Glock 26 with the pinky rest extension on the magazines. I've shot 500 rounds and some so far in practice, my target distance is ten yards. I know my trigger finger needs work. I also am working on flinch/anticipation issues. I notice when I'm pulling/rolling the trigger back, waiting, waiting for the surprise my front sight wanders a bit. note, the target is a paper plate with a three inch dot in the center. Usually my groups are loose in the center/right or upper right quadrant. I dry fire at a doorknob alot though it' doesn't have the same "feel".

Practice, practice, practice will eventually do the job. I only want to ensure I'm praticing the right stuff. Hope this makes sense or, explains my state proficiency so far...Thanks!

 

[figley]

Get yourself to an Appleseed shoot! It will help your fundamentals.

From that instruction, you will learn, and adopt the practice of squeezing the trigger "between" breaths.

 

[mr.steve]

Breathing. I'll have to add that to my list. I'd like to attend some training this summer when the time, the planets and the money are in alignment

 

[scottka]

I always try to focus on "isolating" my trigger finger. The majority of my grip strength comes from my weak hand grasping my strong hand. This allows my trigger finger (obviously, strong hand) to pull STRAIGHT back while my other fingers on my strong hand do not squeeze. If all of your fingers try to squeeze, the sights will wander.

Also, make sure you are using the first PAD of your finger and not a joint. This is important for making sure your not pulling the trigger to one direction. The trigger must come STRAIGHT back for the sights to stay aligned.

*CAPS are emphasis, not me yelling... haha

Hope this helps.

BTW, does the front side wander a specific direction (Right, Left, Up, Down)? or on a certain plane (horizontal, vertical)?

 

[mr.steve]

I always try to focus on "isolating" my trigger finger. The majority of my grip strength comes from my weak hand grasping my strong hand. This allows my trigger finger (obviously, strong hand) to pull STRAIGHT back while my other fingers on my strong hand do not squeeze. If all of your fingers try to squeeze, the sights will wander.

BTW, does the front side wander a specific direction (Right, Left, Up, Down)? or on a certain plane (horizontal, vertical)?

I hadn't thought of that. yes, I do squeeze with both hands
My front sight moves mostly horizontal

Boy, I am taking notes

 

[Mgderf]

Push on the grip with your strong hand, while pulling with your off-hand. Do NOT "cup" the grip.

 

[scottka]

I hadn't thought of that. yes, I do squeeze with both hands
My front sight moves mostly horizontal

Boy, I am taking notes

I'd definitely try focusing on "isolating" your trigger finger as I said before. Just try to keep the same grip all the way through your trigger pull.